Stephen Lawrence

(1974-1993) a black British teenager who was murdered in South London in 1993 by a group of teenagers. His death and the way it was dealt with by the police became an important national issue and damaged relations between the black community and the police. Although several men were charged with his murder, two trials were stopped because there was not enough evidence and no one has been convicted. In 1997, there was a public inquiry into the case and, as a result, in 1999 the Macpherson Report criticized police for racism(= unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race) in dealing with Stephen's murder and recommended changes to the police in Britain.